Nuclear installations regulated by ASN

Radiation protection recommendations for the transport of radioactive substances

ASN formalises its radiation protection recommendations for the transport of radioactive substances

Published on 15/05/2018 • 05:30 pm

Information notice

The inspections carried out by ASN, the French nuclear safety authority, reveal that the risk of exposure to ionisation radiation is not sufficiently integrated in the preventive measures relating to the transport of radioactive substances. Yet some transport activities have significant radiation protection implications, particularly for the workers due to their close proximity to the packages. The annual dose for a driver transporting radiopharmaceuticals can thus reach 14 millisieverts per year (mSv/year)1, the maximum regulatory value being 20 mSv/year.

ASN Guide No. 29 aims at providing advice to help carriers meet their regulatory obligations relative to the radiation protection of workers and the public. It endeavours to show the relationships between the applicable texts, such as the order of 29th May 2009 amended relative to overland transportation of hazardous goods, and the Labour and Public Health Codes. The guide includes the ASN recommendations regarding the minimum content of the radiation protection programme (RPP) required by the regulations, along with concrete examples.

The ASN Guide No. 29 underwent a public consultation at the end of 2017. It will be updated once Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down basic protection standards against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation has been transposed into French law. The update will take into account the feedback from the first period of use of the guide.

1. Data drawn from the SISERI database which centralises all the results of individual measurements of worker exposure to ionising radiation.

Date of last update : 22/05/2018

The French Nuclear Safety Authority is tasked, on behalf of the State, with regulating nuclear safety and radiation protection in order to protect workers, patients, the public and the environment from the risks involved in nuclear activities in France. It also contributes to informing the citizens.